Automatic sewing machine



IDs- 2. M), 1935. n. F. WEBB 7 AUTOMATIC SEWING MACHINE Filed June '30, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 III? Irving E Zrfebb Wiiwebw c. M, 1935. I. F. WEBB 2,24,120

AUTOMATIC SEWING MACHINE Filed June so, 1954 4. Sheets-Sheet 2 Q M), 1935. FWEBB AUTOMATIC SEWING MACHINE Filed June 30, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 35 12 I =9 I A 4 -15? 3 3mm Irving E Webb WWW a i W *W Dec. 10, 1935. 1. F. WEBB AUTOMATIC SEWING MACHINE Filed June 30, 19254 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 gwuwm Irvin 1 Webb Wifweazn Patented Dec. 10, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Singer Manufacturing Company,

Elizabeth,

N. 24"., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 30, 1934, Serial No. 733,226

9 Claims.

This invention relates to sewing machines and has for a particular object to provide a sewing machine for automatically and temporarily tacking together at spaced intervals superposed edgeportions of long lengths of fabric materials while in continuous motion past the sewing station.

Generally, the invention'has for an object to provide a sewing machine for automatically and repeatedly performing disconnected group-stitching operations at spaced intervals lengthwise of fabric strip material while in continuous motion past the sewing station.

With the above and other objects in View, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a sewing machine embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine. Fig. 3 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the machine. Fig. 4 is a section on the line l-4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section onthe line 5-5, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66, Fig. 1, and Figs. 7 and 8 are fragmentary elevational views of the automatic work-clampopening and closing mechanism of the machine.

I represents the top of a supporting bench or table on which the machine is stationed for use. Extending downwardly through a hole 2 in the table-top i is a supporting frame in the form of a tapered cylindrical housing 3 the supporting flange 4 at the upper end of which is screwed fast to the table-top. J ournaled in ballbearings 5. in the housing 3 is the vertical shaft 6 to the upper end of which is fixed the turntable casting 1 upon which is mounted a conventional sewing-machine head A, such as the well known Singer 114-31 class machine adapted, when started, to automatically sew a group of a predetermined number of single-chain tacking stitches and then come to rest.

A sewing machine head A of the class in question commonly has a frame including a bed 8,

and standard 9 of an overhanging bracket-arm i0 terminating in a head I I in which is mounted the vertically recip-rocatory needle-bar l2 carrying the needle [3. The needle-bar I2 is driven as usual by the main-shaft l4 which also drives the rotary chain-stitch looper with which the needle l3 cooperates in the formation of stitches.

The machine has a spring-closed work-clamp including a lower main supporting bar l5 slidable longitudinally of the bed 8 and carrying a lower work-clamping plate IS. The work-clamp further comprises an upper pivoted clamping bar ll 5 pressed downwardly by the usual leaf-spring I1 and carrying a work-clamping foot l8, having a hole 59 in it through which the needle I3 works in sewing a group of stitches. During the sewing operation the work-clamp is reciprocated longi- 10 tudinally of the bed 8 by the usual connections with the pattern cam which is slowly driven by the main-shaft i l through the worm-and-gear connection 2|.

The period of operation of the sewing machine 5 head is controlled by the usual startand stopmotion device including the tight and loose beltpulleys 22, 23 and the stop-cam 24 on the shaft 54, with which cooperates the tilting stop-motion lever 25 fulcrumed at '26 and carrying the belt- 20 shipper 21. A starting lever 28 is fulcrumed at 29 on the frame of the sewing machine head A and has a nose 3B which shifts the stop-motion lever 25 to starting position when the starting rod 3| connected to the lever 28 is pull'eddownwardly. 2 5 It will be understood that the stop-motion lever 25 is latched as usual in running position and is automatically tripped to stop the machine at the completion of a sewing period by the usual tripping point (not shown) on the pattern cam 20. A stop-motion device of this construction is well known and shown, for example, in the United States patents to- Barron, No. 1,093,241, of Apr. 14, 1914, and Fifield, No. 1,498,649, of June 24, 1924, which latter embodies a braking device represented in the drawings of the present application by the reference number 32.

The work-clamping foot I8 is lifted clear of the work by means of the clamp-lifting lever 33 which is fulcrumed at 34 on the bracket-arm l0 and at its forward end is connected to the vertical slide-rod 35 carrying at its lower end a bracket 36 underhanging the upper horizontal end of the post 31 on the upper clamp-arm I1, as disclosed in the patent to Gatchell, No. 1,036,- 603, of Aug. 27, 1912. A down-pull o-n the'rod 38 connected tothe lever 33 lifts the clamp-foot 18 to release the work and, when the down-pull is relieved, the clamp-foot is pressed downwardly to closed position by the usual leaf-spring l1 referred to.

The machine is also equipped with the usual automatic thread-cutter t, of U. S. Patent No. 1,251,451, of Dec. 25, 1917, which severs the sewing thread below the work at the completion of a sewing period.

The turntable I has a rearward extension 1' from which the downward extension 36 depends through the arcuate hole or slot 39 in the tabletop. Bolted to the downward extension 39 of the turntable l is the driving motor 46the powershaft 4| of which carries a. belt-pulley 42 connected by the belt 43 to the tight and loose pulleys 22, 23, respectively, of the sewing machine head A. The power-shaft of the motor also carries a belt-pulley 44 connected by a belt 45 to a pulley 46 on the worm-shaft 4'! journaled in a fixture or bracket 48 fast on the lower end or" the turntable shaft 6. The worm-shaft 4'! carries a worm 49 meshing with a slow running gear 56 journaled on the stud-pin 5| carried by the fixture or bracket 48. The gear 50 is formed on its upper face with a radially slotted and undercut block 52 to receive and support the radially adjustable crank-pin 53 carrying at its upper end a crank-bearing block 54 Working in a guideway 55 in an arm 56 screwed to the supporting frameor housing 3. 'By the mechanism described, a comparatively slow oscillatory motion is imparted to the turntable and sewing machine head A. The amplitude of this oscillatory motion may be varied by adjustment of the position 0, it runs until the position (1 is reached crank-pin 53 radially of the gear 56. In the present instance the machine is oscillated through the angle between the lines a and f, Fig. 2, which is about 40. The motor 46 is connected by the brace 46' to the lower end of the turntable shaft 6.

The superposed plies of material B to be tacked together at intervals are reeled continuously at a uniform speed in a horizontal plane at the level of the space between the work-clamping elements l6, l8 by any suitable reeling mechanism. The oscillating sewing machine head A is so controlled that in its oscillatory movement in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, the work-- clamp is closed at the position b; the stitchvforming mechanism is started at the position 0 enough momentarily to accommodate such differences. The group of tacking stitches C is repeated indefinitely at regular intervals lengthwise of the material being reeled.

The clamp opening and closing mechanism is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Mounted on the turntable I is a bracket 5'! in which is journaled a rock-shaft 58 to which is fixed a crank-arm 59 connected to the lower end of the clamp-opening pull-rod 38. There is also fixed to the rockshaft 58 a depending arm 60 carrying the roller-- stud 6|. A third arm 62 fixed to the rock-shaft 58 is adapted to be engaged at times by the spring-influenced latch 63 pivotally carried by the bracket 57 to hold the clamp-foot l8 in elevated or open position.

When the sewing machine reaches the position b, Fig. 2, the pin 64 on the latch 63, Fig. 7, encounters the spring-influenced tripping arm 65 fulcrumed at 66 on a bracket 61 carried by the table I and braced by the stop-pin 65 and shifts ed to the details of construction and relative the latch 63 to release the arm 62, whereupon the down-pull on the rod 38 is relieved and the Work-clamp springs shut or closes upon the work.

When the position e is approached, the rollerstud 6|, Fig. 8, encounters the pivoted and spring-influenced arm 68 carried by the tablebracket 69 and braced in one direction by the stop-pin 68' and temporarily arrests movement of the roller-stud. The continued movement of the bracket 51 and turntable 1 in the direction of 10 the arrow, Fig. 8, rocks the shaft 58 to open the work-clamp which is held open by the engagement of the arm 62 by the spring-influenced latch 63. In the return oscillation of the parts,

the roller-stud 6| wipes idly by the pivoted arm 15 68 which is free to yield away from its stoppin 68. Similarly, the pin 64 on the latch 63 wipes idly by the trip-arm 65.

The stitch-forming mechanism is started at the position 0, Fig. 2, by means of a fixed stud 20 16, Figs. 1 and 5, adjustable horizontally in the slot H in the supporting bracket 12 screwed to the table-top I. This stud is engaged by the roller-stud 13 on the crank-arm 14 fixed to the rock-shaft 15 journaled in the turntable extension 39. The rock-shaft 15 carries a crank-arm 16 which is connected to the starting pull-rod 3|.

After the sewing mechanism is started at the at which position the normal sewing period of the machine is completed and the machine automatically comes to rest with the stitching thread severed.

The invention is not to be understood as limitarrangements of parts shown and described, as various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:-

1; The combination with a sewing machine head adapted when started to automatically sew a group of stitches and then come to rest, said sewing machine head having stitch-forming l5 mechanism, a startand stop-motion device, and a work-clamp, of a motor connected to drive said sewing machine-head, an oscillatory sewing machine support driven by said motor for repeat-'- edly moving said sewing machine head alternate- 50 ly in opposite directions, and control devices actuated automatically during the movement of said machine head in one direction to close the work-clamp, start the stitch-forming mechanism tion of a group of stitches.

2. The combination with a sewing machine head adapted when started to automatically sew a group of stitches and then come to rest, said and finally open the work-clamp at the comple- 5 sewing machine head having stitch-forming 60 mechanism, a startand stop-motion device, and a Work-clamp, of a motor connected to drive said sewing machine head, an oscillatory turntable driven by said motor and carrying the sewing machine head, and control devices actuated 65 by the oscillatory movement of said turntable in one'direotion for closing the work-clamp, starting the stitch-forming mechanism and finally turntable with its bed extending forwardly away from said extension, a motor mounted on said extension and connected to drive said sewing machine, said motor substantially balancing the sewing machine relative to said turntable shaft, and means for oscillating said shaft.

4. In combination, a turntable shaft, a turntable fixed to said shaft and having.a rearward extension, a cylinder-bed sewing machine of the automatic group-stitching type mounted on said turntable with its bed extending forwardly away from said extension, a motor mounted on said extension and connected to drive said sewing machine, said motor substantially balancing the sewing machine relative to said turntable shaft, means for oscillating said shaft, and control devices actuated by the oscillatory movement of said turntable in one direction for starting said sewing machine.

5. In combination, a sewing machine of the type adapted, when started, to sew a group of stitches and then come to rest, said machine having stitch-forming mechanism, a stop-motion device, and a work-clamp, a motor for driving said sewing machine, means driven by said motor for oscillating said sewing machine and motor about a vertical axis, and spaced devices relative to which said machine oscillates for both closing and opening the work-clamp in an oscillatory movement of said machine in one direction.

6. The combination with a turntable shaft, of a supporting frame in which said shaft is journaled, said frame including an arm having a guideway transverse to said shaft, a bracket fixed to said shaft, a crank-member journaled on said bracket and engaging said guideway, a turntable carried by said shaft, a sewing machine and driving motor carried by said turntable, and means connected to said motor for driving said crankmember at a. slow speed.

7. The combination with a turntable shaft, of a tubular housing in which said shaft is journaled, said housing having a supporting flange at its upper end, whereby it may be susperi'ded through a. hole in a table, a turntable mounted on the upper end of said shaft, a sewing machine and driving motor mounted on said turntable, and means driven by said motor and connected to the lower end of said shaft for oscillating the latter.

8. In combination, a sewing machine having a spring-closed work-clamp, an oscillatory support for said sewing machine, a table carrying said oscillatory support, means for opening said workclamp, a latch for holding said work-clamp open,

and means on said table for tripping said latch, said last mentioned means and the means for opening the work-clamp being automatically operated one after the other by the oscillatory movement of the sewing machine supporting means in one direction relative to said table.

9. In combination, a support, a turntable shaft journaled in said support, a turntable fixed to the upper end of said shaft, a motor depending from said turntable, a bracket fast to the lower end of the turntable shaft, a worm shaft journaled in said bracket and connected to be driven by said motor, a gear driven by said worm shaft and journaled on said bracket, a crank carried by said gear, an arm carried by said support and having a guideway engaged by said crank, and a sewing machine carried by said turntable and connected to be driven by said motor.

IRVING F. WEBB. 

